


this is what love feels like

by GlitchTheRoboticShadow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, alternate universe where they're just chilling on earth, klance, like it's so cheesy wow, um marijuana is depicted in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 22:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12022671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitchTheRoboticShadow/pseuds/GlitchTheRoboticShadow
Summary: He tried to imagine what it would be like; what it would feel like. A fluttery feeling in your gut, a warmth that starts in your toes and spreads through your body like a star expanding in your gut, a tightness in your chest when they’re not with you. That’s what love was, Keith assumed.But Keith didn’t know love, not this kind.





	this is what love feels like

Could the concept of being in love be grasped by someone who’d never experienced it? Keith didn’t know. He’d never been in love. He’d loved, sure. He loved his brother, Shiro. But he’d never been _in_ love. And, really, you can’t answer that question until it’s moot, because the answer only comes once you’re in love, and Keith wasn’t. Yet.

He tried to imagine what it would be like; what it would _feel_ like. A fluttery feeling in your gut, a warmth that starts in your toes and spreads through your body like a star expanding in your gut, a tightness in your chest when they’re not with you. That’s what love was, Keith assumed.

But Keith didn’t know love, not this kind.

It snuck up on him; maybe that’s why he didn’t recognize it. Love wasn’t playful bickering in the day and late night texts asking if you could come over because you needed something unidentifiable. It wasn’t rivalries and competitions. That’s not what it was _supposed_ to be, so no one could blame him for not realizing.

Well, not realizing until _now._

And what a horrid time to realize.

Three am ponderings of one’s existence that led to terrifying revelations were usually okay. You were alone in your bed with nothing but the ceiling to stare at and your pillow to judge you. But Keith had gotten a text from Lance asking if he could come over. That wasn’t out of the ordinary. They often hung out in the middle of the night. But this night just wasn’t a good one because Keith was, apparently, in love.

Not only that, but in love with _Lance_ , the guy that was undoubtedly only a few minutes from knocking on his door. He shouldn’t have said yes to him. But he couldn’t say no, he didn’t _want_ to say no. In fact, when he had this grand realization, Lance was the first person he thought of telling, because when anything big happened that’s who he told.

 _Maybe that’s what love is_ , Keith thought.

But he couldn’t tell him, not now at least.

There was a soft knock on the front door. Keith pushed himself up from his bed, quickly running a hand through his hair to untangle it. He wondered if it was visible, this shift in his life. Would he open the door and be met with reluctance and rejection because his feelings were written across his forehead? He had to believe he was less obvious than that. Or at least pretend to believe it so he could work up enough courage to actually let Lance in.

Keith was quiet, careful not to wake Shiro or Matt, who were sleeping in the only other bedroom in the apartment. They were going to school together and Shiro being Shiro, decided that it was a great idea for Keith to move in with them. Keith wasn’t going to school, just tiptoeing in the peripheral, working minimum wage jobs to cover his part of the expenses.

He didn’t know what his plan was, but he didn’t regret any of the impulsivity from his past because that’s how he ended up here, standing in front of Lance.

“Rough night?” Lance asked upon seeing Keith’s disheveled state.

Keith sighed heavily, trying not to stare directly into Lance’s eyes, which would surely give him away. But it was hard, because Lance had such _pretty_ eyes. They were blue, icy to look at but still brimming with warmth and amusement. Keith wanted just one peek, one jolt to fuel his bravery enough to get through this night.

So, he looked Lance in the eyes and Lance smiled, sympathetic. He didn’t know what Keith was thinking, that much was evident by the fact that he wasn’t bolting down the stairs, but he knew _something_ was off.

Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic bag with a joint in it. “Looks like you need to relax, dude.”

“No shit. Let’s get out of here.” Keith grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and quickly left the apartment with Lance. He needed to ease the tension growing in his shoulders as soon as possible. Maybe he’d be okay if he could just settle down and smoke a little with Lance.

They walked downstairs, sitting on a bench in a little patch of grass by the apartments, the streetlamps illuminating the night. Keith almost wished it was completely dark, then there wouldn’t be a weird, iridescent, possibly entirely made up by Keith’s imagination, halo around Lance’s head.

“Are you okay, man? You’ve been kind of…twitchy since I got here.” Lance asked, passing the joint to Keith.

Keith gladly took it, inhaling and holding it until he had to let it out, followed by a chorus of coughs; anything to get enough time to think of what to say. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just, you know, the usual.”

Lance didn’t look convinced. He leaned against the back of the bench, staring at Keith intently. It was uncomfortable being on the receiving end of such scrutiny, but also comforting knowing that someone cared that much about him.

“It’s three am and I’m here at your apartment smoking weed, I think you can let whatever’s weighing you down off your chest.” Lance took the joint again, blowing the smoke away from them.

 _No, I really can’t,_ Keith’s inner voice whispered, but he ignored it.

Keith was a complete lightweight when it came to smoking pot, so he could already feel his head getting fuzzy as he zoned out staring at Lance’s mouth. Maybe he was a little more than willing to dive headfirst into his buzz.

“Keith?”

Keith blinked, refocusing on coming up with a reply. He took the joint again. “I’ve just realized some pretty important things.”

Lance nodded in understanding, not pressing the matter further but looking as if he were sifting through his own thoughts now, too. Keith wondered what they were.

Maybe he didn’t want to know.

“Keith,” Lance took a shuddering breath in, eyes never leaving Keith’s. It was cold out, Keith was just now noticing. He could feel it nipping at his cheeks and nose. Maybe that would disguise the blush creeping up his neck. “I’m kind of realizing something myself.”

Keith could see Lance’s breath in the chilly midnight air, dancing out of his mouth like tiny snowflakes pushed by winter wind. It made him nervous; anticipatory. He _needed_ to know what Lance was going to say, but he could wait for eternity in this moment.

But Lance stayed quiet, so Keith prompted him, sitting up straighter to face him, “Yeah?”

Lance leaned forward, his nose inches from Keith’s. He took the joint out of his hand, smothering it beneath his shoe.

 _What a waste,_ Keith thought. But then Lance was kissing him and he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore because Lance’s mouth was soft and surprisingly warm and it slotted so perfectly with Keith’s. He melted into it, the icy breeze disappearing behind Lance’s hand on his cheek; the crushing weight of his earlier epiphany dissipating, burning away like a vague memory tossed into a fire.

_This is what love feels like._

Lance pulled back a little and smiled when Keith followed him, reconnecting their lips. He couldn’t let go of this, not yet. He couldn’t face whatever reality awaited him outside of this bubble they’d created with mingled breaths and heated skin. It didn’t quite feel real, like maybe Keith would open his eyes and Lance would be gone, nothing left but the outline of Keith’s own fantasy.

But the hand on his cheek was real, and the blue eyes that met his as they pulled apart were real. And Lance’s smile, the ear-to-ear, crinkled eyes smile, was real. And so was Keith.

And so was this.

“I lied earlier.” Lance said, but his expression didn’t falter. Not even an inch of his affection fell from his features.

Keith froze, staring at Lance quizzically.

 _This is it,_ the voice in Keith’s head said, _the popping of the bubble, another memory turning to ash in the flames._

“I didn’t just realize this. I’ve known I wanted to kiss you for a long time; it’s just- something about tonight felt different, like maybe I _could_ kiss you. Like maybe you _wanted_ me to.”

Lance knew, on some level, that things had changed for Keith tonight. Keith felt it, the shift in their relationship, the moment he opened the door. And he knew Lance felt it, too. That’s why they were here, sitting on a bench in the middle of the night, faces rosy and hearts stuttering. Lance looking at Keith the way he always did, but now Keith knew what was behind the smile and sparkling eyes, and it was mirrored in his own.

_Maybe this is what it feels like to be in love._

_Maybe this is what it feels like to_ be _loved._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Most of the stuff I write I didn't actually set out to write and that's essentially what happened here. But enjoy this interesting mix of fluff and weed. Feedback, as always, is greatly appreciated!


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